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I've researched and find Portland cement will cure under water. My spring is leaking... well more like a small gush... under the walkway and around the spring house instead of through it. I need to mix and dump some cement in the hole but have no experience. Will I have to build a dam first to shunt the water elsewhere if I can?
Or can I just mix a bag of quikcrete and dump it in?
I would say it depends on the water pressure. If the cement will stay in place, then it will cure - if the 'small gush' is strong enough to wash away the wet cement before it cures, then you'll have to re-route it. From what it sounds like, you'd be better off re-routing it, since wet cement if pretty darned easy to wash away.
Make sure the edges of your hole are rough enough to give the new cement a good bonding surface to the old cement for a better adherance.
Thanks. I was afraid that would be the advice. Part of the old concrete needs to get busted out anyway as the old pipes near the top have rusted away. There's a new 4" PVC pipe lower in the spring and I suspect that's the beginning of the leak.
Investigate a clay like mineral called Bentonite.
It is used in septic mound and lake side settings in retaining and binding the soil in wet locations.
I don't spec. the stuff myself but have hired several hydrologist and civil engineers on several different projects and this material, Bentonite was used.
It is a type of platicizing clay that is used both in hydrology engineering as well as pottery/ ceramics.
Actually, I'm familiar with Bentonite. It's used up here to line ponds so they don't leak. It comes in sheets kinda like drywall so I'm not sure how I could use it.
